Revolving garment carrier



Aug 18, 1970 R. RRUHNKE y y3,524,554',

aEvoLvING GARMENT CARRIER Filed May 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Oflice 3,524,554 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 3,524,554 REVOLVING GARMENT CARRIER Richard R. Ruhnke, Skokie, Ill., assignor to Garcy Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed May 9, 1968, Ser. No. 727,771 Int. Cl. A47f 5 02 U.S. Cl. 211-163 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Described and illustrated herein is a revolving garment carrier having improved means for securing end guards to hangrails and an improved column base for securing a column assembly to a revolving garment rack bas assembly. l

BACKGROUND For some time now revolving garment carriers have been used in clothing stores, for example, to store and display mens suits, jackets, coats and the like. Such carriers are an ideal way to show full assortments` of clothing in a limited space by permitting the utilization of a pair of hangrails, one behind the other, for hanging and displaying garments in a double depth array, while providing easy access to both rows of garments from one side only.

To that end, such carriers include a column assembly from which a plurality of pairs of hangrails may be suspended, one of each pair being behind the other, but available for ready access. The column assembly is dolly-supported so that it may be moved from a rearward storage position to a forward position in which the hangrails may be rotated about the axis of the column assembly to display the merchandise on the rear hangrails to a customer.

The column assembly supports a substantial weight, for example as much as twenty-three feet of hanging space loaded with garments. It is clear, therefore, that the construction must be strong and sturdy and that the construction must withstand substantial and repeated stresses in the forward and rearward movements of the column assembly and in the turning of the hangrails. Prior assemblies have tended to develop deleterious and undesirable wobble which, in accordance with this invention is eliminated.

Further, it has been found desirable to utilize end guards at the extremities of the hangrails to keep the garments at the hangrail extremities within substantial ly the vertical planes of the hangrail extremities. Various means for securing the end guards to the hangrails have been utilized, all of them being complex and expensive to machine and make as well as requiring diicult assembly procedures. In accordance with this invention, improved means for connecting hangrails and end guards are disclosed and described.

SUMMARY The invention disclosed herein is an improved revolving garment carrier. The garment carrier includes a column assembly movably mounted on a base assembly for reciprocation with respect thereto. The column assembly comprises a column extension, at least one pair of parallel elongate tubular hangrails suspended from said column extension, a depending end guard and means for securing the depending end guard to adjacent extremities of the pair of hangrails. The column assemblyfurther includes a column for rotatably mounting the column extension and a column base mounted on the base assembly. The column base includes a pair of clamping members defining a vertically disposed clear-through opening, the clamping members being integrally formed with a base plate at one of their ends and being spaced apart but confronting at their other ends. The column base is preferably a casting in which the clamping members dene a vertical cylindrical bore split at the other ends and including a pair of spaced apart extensions comprising means for drawing the clamping members toward each other to clampingly engage the column for rigidly supporting the column assembly.

The means for securing the depending end guard to adjacent extremities of the pair of tubular hangrails preferably comprises a pair of vertically aligned apertures in each of the hangrail extremities, the lowermost of the aligned apertures being of substantially the same size and shape as the transverse cross-section of the end guard. The end guard defines a threaded socket in each of its ends and threaded fastener means projecting through the uppermost of the apertures are provided to mate in threaded engagement with the threaded socket, thereby to position the ends of the end guards within the tubular hangrails for securance thereto. Preferably the uppermost apertures are smaller in size than the ends of the end guard to prevent passage of the end guard therethrough. The means for securing the end guard to the hangrails also desirably includes end caps for closing the hangrail ends, the end caps including a cap closure portion and an annular spring loop extending inwardly of the tubular hangrail in frictional engagement with the inner wall of the hangrail, the springs surrounding the end of the end guard thereby to prevent removal of the end cap from the hangrail.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear and apparent from the following description and drawings referred to therein, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a revolving garment carrier of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view, partially in section, of the end guard connecting structure of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an assembled side view, partially in section, of the end guard connecting structure of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partially in section, of FI'G. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view, partially in section, of the column assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a portion of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 8 8 of FIG. 6.

Referring trst to FIG. 1, a revolving garment carrier 10 of this invention includes a base 4assembly 12 for movably supporting a column assembly for reciprocable movement with respect to said base assembly. A column base 1-4 is supportingly mounted on base assembly 12. Column base 14, which will -be described in greater detail, receives upstanding column assembly 1'6 to which is secured a plurality of garment rack assemblies A18.

Each of the garment rack assemblies 1.8 includes a pair of parallel elongate tubular hangrails 20, positioned by and secured by hangrail supports 22 which are mounted on connecting blocks 24. Connecting blocks 24 are slidably positioned on a column extension 26. Pins 28, positioned in holes in column extension 26, support connecting blocks 24 at variable elevations to suspend tubular handrails 20 from column extension 26.

The openings in blocks 24 conform to the square crosssection of column extension 26 to make them corotatable, as column extension 26 is revolved in a manner which will be described.

yEach of the rack assemblies 18 is provided with a pair of end guards 30, the purpose of which is to restrict the outward movement of garments to be hung on the hangrails 20.

Although various constructions have been used in the past to secure the end guards to the hangrails, they have been expensive and diflicult to assemble. IIn accordance with this invention, hollow hangrails 20 are provided with vertically aligned opposed concentric lower and upper apertures 32 and 34, respectively. Aperture 34 is smaller in diameter than aperture 32. End guard 30, at each of its ends, is tapped to define a threaded socket 36 to receive a threaded member, such as Screw 38. To close the ends of hangrails 20, an end cap 40 is provided at each end. End cap 40 includes a cap or head portion -42 and a spring body 44, which is in the form of a closed loop.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, end cap 40 is positioned with the spring body 44 in spring biased frictional engagement with the inner surface of hangrail 20. Spring body 44 is disposed so that the planes in which its surfaces 46 and 48 lie are normal to the axis of aligned apertures 32 and 34. When spring body 44 is so oriented, end guard 30 may be positioned as -seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, thereby to provide a means for preventing accidental loss and withdrawal of end cap 40.

To xedly secure end guard 30 in the position shown in FIG. 1, screw 38 is threaded into socket 36 to draw the end of end guard 30 into engagement w-ith the inner surface 39 of hangrail 20, thereby to clampingly engage the hangrail between the head of screw 38 and the end of end guard 30. It should be noted that lower aperture 32 is substantially the same diameter and shape as end guard 30 to slidably receive same and upper aperture 34 is substantially less in diameter than end guard 30. Thus, end guard 30 may not pass through the uppermost aperture 34.

The assembled end guard-hangrail assembly, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is secure and solid, with the end cap 40 being frictionally seated and held against inadvertent renioval.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and now to FIG. 5 to 8, column assembly 16l includes square tubular column extension 26 which is rotatably mounted in column 50. At its upper end column 50 is provided with an outer collar 52 surrounding a bearing sleeve 54 seated at the top of column 50. An inner collar 56 is tixedly secured to column extension 26 and comprises a cylindrical bearing segment 58 and upstanding ears 60. Ears 60 project upwardly from a planar portion 62 which interconnects bearing segment 58 and ears 60 and which defines a substantially lsquare opening for slidably receiving column extension 26.

Column extension 26 is provided with a plurality of screw holes which are disposed to confront like holes in ends 60 so that fasteners such as screws 64 may pass therethrough to fixedly secure inner collar 56 to column extension 26. In that manner, extension 26 is rotatable with respect to the upper end of column S0, bearing segment 58 being circumscribed by bearing sleeve 54. Preferably, bearing sleeve 54 is made of a plastic material suitable for the purpose, such as linearly oriented polyethylene.

At its lower end, column extension 26 is secured, as by welding, to a bearing rod 70. Rod 70 is circumscribed by a suitable metal bearing 72, such as of an impregnated metal, against which rod 70 may rotate. Bearing 72 is positioned in column base 14 by a threaded member 74 which passes through an aperture in column base 14 and into threaded engagement with bearing 72 to x its location.

Thus, column extension 26 and its associated garment rack assemblies are corotatable with respect to column 50 via bea-ring sleeve 54 and associated inner collar 56 and bearing rod 70 and its associated bearing 72.

Column 50 is xedly secured to column base 14. It is extremely important that the connection between these two members be rigid and without wobble. Previous efforts to press-tit the members together were unsatisfactory,

4 resulting in a wobbly and ill-fitting assembly. When it is understood that severe stresses are placed on the connection between column base 14 and column `50 and its associated column assembly, it will be appreciated that press-fit connection simply will not satisfy the need.

Accordingly, column base 14 comprises a base plate segment defining a plurality of bolt holes 82 via which the column base l14 is secured to base assembly 12. At the forward end of base plate segment 80, a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical clamp segments 84 are provided. These are integral with each other at one end and with base plate `80 at their intersection therewith. Clamp segments |84 define a vertically disposed clear-through opening. Preferably, column base 14 is a cast member.

At the other ends, i.e., their forward ends, clamp segments 8 4 are slightly spaced apart and define ears or extensions l86 defining suitable openings tol receive and engage clamping means, such as threaded bolts 88. To this end, one of the aligned openings in extensions -86 is threaded and the other is not so that as bolts 88 are drawn tight, clamp segments 84 are brought into a tight clamping engagement with column 50, to make column 50 immovable with respect to column base 14. Thus it is seen that the threaded bolts serve to draw the confronting other ends of clamp segments 84 toward each other and to draw extensions 86 toward each other.

In this manner, column extension 26 is readily rotatable within column 50 and column base 14, but column 50 and column base 14 are fixed against relative movement, wobble and the like, as extension 26 and its associated rack assemblies 18 are moved and rotated.

Column base 14 is secured to base assembly 12 in a manner known in the` art. Base assembly 12 includes a support frame and a roller supported dolly assembly 89 (shown schematically), which dolly assembly is movable forwardly (as seen in FIG. 1) from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that shown in phantom in FIG. 1, i.e., in the direction of the double-headed arrow in FIG. 1. Column base 1-4 is fxedly bolted to the dolly assembly through bolt holes 82, and therefore is movable between the positions illustrated in FIG. 1. Slot 90 in cover plate 91 is of a width suicient to accommodate rod 70 which depends therethrough and to accommodate the upstanding portion 92 of base plate segment 80.

`It is to be noted that rod 70 terminates at its lower end in a plate 94. Secured to the lower surface of plate 94 there is a hardened bearing pin 96 which rests upon a hardened bearing plate integral with the dolly. That bearing plate and pin 96 serve to x the elevation of pin 96 and the associated extension 26 with respect to the base assembly, and further to serve as a third bearing point for rotation of the column extension and associated rack assemblies with respect to the Ibase assembly.

Normally the revolving garment carrier s in the position illustrated in FIG. 1. When a user desires to view the garments suspended from the rear hangrail as viewed in FIG. l, the need only grasp a hangrail, pull it forward to the dotted line position of FIG. 1 and then rotate the rack assemblies and the column extension on which they are supported to view the garments suspended from the rear rack. The rack may then be pushed rearwardly to leave the formerly rearwardmost garments at the front or the assembly may be rotated once again to reposition the garments in the rearwardmost position. Although it is not shown, means are desirably provided for preventing rotation of the garment rack assemblies except when they are moved to the dotted line position of FIG. 1.

The means hereinbefore described provide a revolving garment carrier which in several respects is substantially improved over earlier carriers.. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the revolving garment carrier-hereindisclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, the description herein is not to be considered as limiting on the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. In a revolving garment carrier including a column and rack assembly movably mounted on a support assembly for reciprocation with respect thereto, said column assembly comprising a column extension, at least one pair of parallel elongate tubular hangrails suspended for said column extension, a depending end guard and improved means for securing said depending end guard to adjacent extremities of said pair of hangrails, said means comprising aligned vertically spaced apertures in each of said hangrail extremities, the lowermost of said aligned apertures 'being of substantially the same size and shape as the transverse cross-section of the end of said end guard, a threaded socket in each end of said end guard, threaded fastener means projecting downwardly through the uppermost of said apertures into threaded engagement with a said threaded socket, thereby to position the ends of said end guards Within said tubular hangrails for securance thereto, end caps, said end caps being positioned to close each open end of said tubular hangrails, each of said end caps including a cap portion closing said hangrail end, an annular spring loop extending inwardly of said tubular hangrail in frictional engagement with the inner wall of said hangrail, said spring loop surrounding the end of said end guard, thereby to prevent removal of said end cap from said hangrail.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,960 10/ 1903 Whitmore 287--23 941,669 11/1909 Young 312-133 1,113,386 10/1914 Vanderveld 312-133 2,594,561 4/ 1962 Huck. 3,227,477 1/ 1966 Theisen 2,87--5 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 334,332 9/ 1930 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner 

